Beautiful America series
by Lucinda
Summary: When Willow goes to a cabin in the mountains, she only intended to sort out her emotions, not to meet a wild mutant with a mysterious past. Formerly titled 'For Purple Mountain's Majesty'.
1. For Purple Mountain's Majesty

for Purple Mountain's Majesty  
  
author: Lucinda  
  
rating: pg 13  
  
pairing: Willow/Logan  
  
disclaimer: I do not own anyone from BtVS or Marvel's X-Men, comics or movie.  
  
distribution: Bite Me, WLS, NHA, WWW, quickie challenge, Twisting the Hellmouth. Anyone else ask.  
  
notes: going AU from Season 5. Glory killed Tara, Buffy didn't die. Set after X-Men the movie, while Logan is away searching for his past.  
  
Buffy had managed to defeat Glory, and save Dawn. None of the good guys had died in the battle... but Tara had died before the confrontation, victim of Glory's predatory diet. Glory, the evil that fed on the minds of people, not by literally eating their brain, but a more mystical way that they couldn't quite explain.  
  
Tara was dead. Buffy was alive, and so was Dawn. Xander and Anya had decided that life was short, so they had gone to Vegas to elope. Willow was left to try to come to terms with her grief, and she couldn't seem to manage that in Sunnydale.  
  
Fortunately, she had an option. Her parents owned a cabin in the mountains. If she went there, she could try to sort out her feelings without everywhere reminding her of her friends, or how much she had lost in Sunnydale. She could set her own schedule, and have no need to worry about vampires rising in the cemetery, or demons seeking to kill the Slayer. The cabin was remote, isolated, and as she remembered, had a splendid view.  
  
It didn't take her very long to pack some things in a suitcase and get ready. A few minutes was all it took to leave messages with Buffy and Giles about where she would be, and that she promised to take her cell-phone with her. Ten minutes to pack some weapons just in case there was anything dangerous. No more than an hour at the store to pick up some groceries to take with her, and she was off for the cabin.  
  
The cabin wasn't quite as impressive as she remembered, although the view was breathtaking. The walls were unpainted weathered wood, and the inside was spacious enough, if a bit impersonal feeling. There was no heat. The water was from a well, so while it was plentiful, it tasted different than she was used to water tasting. The lights were rather dim. She sighed as she put the groceries away in the clunky looking refrigerator. She had come here to think, not to surround herself with the wonders of technology.  
  
She spent several hours cleaning the cabin and straightening things up, fussing with things until she got everything situated to her satisfaction. Her weapons were carefully placed, no matter where she was in the cabin, there was a weapon fairly close to her. There was a crossbow with a generous quiver of bolts. Two swords, a big knife and an axe were also in the house, as well as the hatchet in the wood pile and the poker at the fireplace. She would rather not resort to using the kitchen knives in a fight, that would just be... gross. She was planning to prepare her food with those.  
  
Eventually, Willow decided to try to go to bed, feeling unexpectedly bored with the peaceful quiet of the mountains. She changed into a pair of pajamas, and settled into the bed, trying to lull herself to sleep. Perhaps it was a combination of the quiet, the isolation, and the sheer emotional exhaustion of the recent weeks, but she found herself nodding off in a fairly short time.  
  
She was jolted from sleep by the sound of something roaring. It definitely didn't sound friendly, whatever it was it was very close, and fighting something else. She slipped out of the bed, grabbing the short sword that she'd left on the nightstand. She had no idea if it was a wild animal or a demon of some type, but it couldn't hurt to be prepared. Her hand was shaking and her heart beating rapidly as she moved down the stairs and across the large room. Resting her hand on the doorknob, she had a moment's internal debate of did she really want to open this door?  
  
Taking a deep breath, Willow flung open the door, looking to see what on earth was making all the commotion. There was growling, snarling, and the slightly quieter sounds of fists hitting flesh. There was a large person, probably some sort of demon with a reddish blond mane of hair and dressed in rough leather and fur, growling with sharp teeth at the smaller man, one hand upraised in preparation to slash with wickedly sharp claws. The smaller man was currently laying with his back on the ground, the larger man with one hand wrapped around his throat. Things did not look good for the smaller man, who actually looked human.  
  
She gathered her power, the magic that had served her so well in Sunnydale, and created an almost painfully bright light above the fighting men, hoping that it would startle Red-Mane enough to let the poor guy go. It worked, and with a startled noise, Red-Mane let go of the man, recoiling from the light, his dark eyes blinking furiously. It was obvious that the light hurt them. With a snarl, he backed away from the man, and he seemed to be glaring at Willow.  
  
"Laterrrr" His voice was practically a growl, and there was no mistaking that the simple word was a threat. He nearly vanished into the darkness as he retreated.  
  
Still trembling, Willow approached the other person, a man dressed in jeans and a flannel shirt. She offered a hand to him, and was nearly pulled off her feet when he managed to use her help to stagger to his feet. He leaned heavily on her shoulder as she went back up the two steps and into the cabin. There was no resistance at the door, so he wasn't a vampire, and the ragged breathing was a double assurance that he was in fact, a living, breathing man.  
  
It wasn't until he'd collapsed on her couch, apparently asleep that Willow remembered that 'living, breathing man' didn't always mean safe. Had she just done something incredibly foolish? Had she just brought an ax-murderer or someone equally dangerous into her cabin? She sighed, called herself an idiot, and went back to bed, the sword still firmly clutched in her hand.  
  
She woke up early, almost in time with the sunrise. Her dreams had been filled with strange red maned men growling at her, and Buffy standing in the background, saying 'I have to keep Dawn safe, you're on your own this time Willow' as the man? demon? charged at her. Wiping at her face, she tried to erase the dreams. Pulling on some clothing, Willow decided that the best thing for this odd feeling would be coffee, and went downstairs. She took the sword, just in case.  
  
He was still on the couch, one arm draped towards the floor, his dark hair shaped into a pair of peaks. Maybe he wasn't exactly human, but he looked as if he was still asleep. She went into the kitchen, eager for coffee. It would help her think clearly through this.  
  
Willow was waiting impatiently for the old coffee-maker to brew. She could smell the coffee, it's rich scent filling the air, waking up her mind. Apparently, the scent wasn't just waking her up, because there was a groan from the other room. It sounded like her guest was awake.  
  
"Where... why did you bring me inside?" His voice was full of confusion. To her relief, his voice sounded human, and there was no apparent threat.  
  
  
  
Willow looked over to the doorway, where her guest leaned against the wall, his face a mask of confusion. "I thought... you looked like you could use a bit of help after that red-maned thing tried to kill you. I've never seen anything like him... he was scary. So, what's your name? There will be coffee soon... assuming that this thing ever finishes brewing."  
  
There was something, like a shadow of pain, when he spoke. "I'm Logan. That red-mane was Sabertooth, and he's a mutant. I'm a mutant."  
  
Willow looked at him. "A mutant? Oh... so he wasn't a demon. Simplifies a few things I guess, but he was still scary. The coffee mugs are on the rack beside you, I think the coffee-maker is done now. There's sugar, and some milk in the refrigerator."  
  
They drank coffee in silence, finishing a full cup and starting on their seconds before Logan spoke again. "You don't seem to be worried about the whole mutant thing."  
  
Willow looked at him, thinking that he was an incredibly... well, not exactly drop dead gorgeous good looking, but incredibly male. "The town that I live in is built over the mouth of hell. I've spent the last few years helping my best friend kill demons and vampires and stop them from trying to end the world. I've seen things that are born to be evil, and it isn't mutants. Mutants... well, mutants are just humans with a few extra options. That doesn't make them evil. For all I know, I could be a mutant. Right now, I'm still trying to figure out if I did a dumb thing by bringing some strange man into the cabin."  
  
He laughed, and Willow had the oddest impression that it wasn't something he'd done a lot of recently. "I'm not going to hurt you. I was just... I'm looking for an abandoned military complex that's supposed to be near here. Sabertooth just found me first."  
  
"So, you're searching for an abandoned military base? Why?" She was looking at him, her mind bubbling with questions.  
  
He looked into the mug of coffee, a small frown on his face. "I... I'm missing part of my past. Someone suggested that the base there might have a few clues. Figured that since I didn't have anything better to do, I might as well go check it out."  
  
"Missing part of your past? Like amnesia? Whoa... umm, Logan? Would you like a bit of help searching for this base? I mean, I just came here to not be there, if that makes sense." She made her offer, not quite certain how well it would be received.  
  
"Why not? You seem to be able to take care of yourself in a fight..." The words came out, and Logan looked as if he was a bit startled to find that they had come from him. But he didn't retract them.  
  
After breakfast, Willow booted up her laptop, muttering that she really wished she'd brought a real computer. She then did something that Logan couldn't quite follow, and ended up with satellite images of the area, and using those, they were able to locate the base. It wasn't terribly far from the cabin, and they planned to go there the next day.  
  
They drove for part of the way in Willow's car, but a tree had fallen over the road that lead to the base, forcing them to walk the last few miles. Willow was feeling curious, and also this odd prickling suspicion that Logan had left out part of his story, and the fear that some of those omissions could become problems. The air smelled of trees, and the sounds of birds and crickets and the wind rustling in the leaves made it feel oddly peaceful.  
  
At the end of the road, they came to the base, the complex of buildings surrounded by a chain link fence that had vines growing over it. One side of the gate had fallen, making a sheltering place that looked as if it had been used by wild animals. Weeds were growing up through the concrete, and there were birds nesting in the gutters and on the broken antennae. It was easily apparent that this base had been abandoned and it looked as if it had been forgotten as well.  
  
Logan was tense, and he kept clenching and releasing his fists. Swallowing, he led the way to a building, somewhat smaller and towards the back. It looked as if the door had rusted shut. Looking it over, Willow wondered if it had been the base offices, or perhaps a medical facility. Logan yanked on the door, growling at it when it stuck. By sheer persistence, he opened it, the metal squealing in a protest that sent birds scattering to the sky with harsh cries.  
  
Following him, Willow stepped into the building, immediately noticing the fact that the air didn't just smell as if it had been shut away for a long time. It smelled like a crypt, a distinct scent that combined a lack of circulation with something having rotted and decayed inside. Glancing around, she could feel her own muscles tensing, and she felt better about insisting on bringing the short sword with her.  
  
It wasn't until they turned the corner that she saw the first visible evidence of something wrong. The walls were splattered with dark brown stains, some vertical splashes, others in curving arcs. There were scatterings of dry bones, some with withered flesh and tattered clothing still on them. They looked to have been in lab coats, and it was obvious that something had killed them, very violently.  
  
Willow looked around with wide eyes, wondering if this had been some sort of precursor to the Initiative. There were deep gouges in the wall, as if something with claws had struck at them. "Well, with any luck, whatever did this left and stayed somewhere that's not here. I'm going to go with the thing had claws and stood noticeably higher than me, at least a foot."  
  
"What if I did this?" Logan's voice was a harsh whisper.  
  
Willow looked at him in startlement. "You? But... you don't look old enough. And umm, claws? I think it was taller than you anyhow."  
  
He gave a bitter smile, and spoke a single word as he held up his fist, the back of his hand towards her. "Claws." Three sharp metal blades emerged from the back of his hand, causing a few drops of blood to trickle from the places where his skin had been sliced open by them.  
  
Suddenly, it clicked for Willow. In some ways, there had been a precursor to the Initiative. Those had to have been surgically added. Experimentation on people... she shivered. "You were experimented on? But... you don't remember anything?"  
  
"Occasional nightmares, but no real memories. I was their test subject... and I can't remember when it happened, or how I got out." His voice was bitter, filled with pain.  
  
Willow could understand why he would be upset. "Do you think... maybe they had computer files? If they did, I can try to access them, see if they have any useful information."  
  
There were more bodies, all equally old. None of them had died easily, and there were even some that had their arms feet away from their torso's. Willow had simply shaken her head, glad that she wasn't searching for computers when the bodies were fresh. Naturally, most of the ones they found had been trashed, although Willow decided to take some of the hard drives with her in the hopes that she could salvage something. She couldn't try to access anything here because there was no power.  
  
It would be hard to say who was happier to leave, Willow with her stack of pilfered hard drives, or Logan with a handful of folders. Neither of them spoke until they had returned to the car.  
  
"I think I've seen those halls. In the nightmares. The big glass tube was familiar." His voice was harsh, as if some inner pain had been scraped raw.  
  
Willow had nodded, understanding some of his pain. She had her own ugly nightmares, and none of them were enjoyable to talk about. She drove them back to the cabin in silence.  
  
There wasn't a lot of information that she could get from the old hard drives. Changing technology had made it difficult to access such older information, and there had been damage and file degradation. But she got a few things, a little of which was useful. There were notes on a metal alloy called adamantium, and a partial file on something called an 'adamantium bonding process' that made Willow feel very cold inside. It was apparent that they had been experimenting in this facility, and she had even found some files on early tests where they had bonded the adamantium to old bones, to refine the bonding procedure. Glancing at Logan, she knew that it had been refined and used at least once on a living person.  
  
He was looking at the papers, glaring at them in frustration. "Half of this is too technical, and I don't know who any of these people are! This didn't help very much at all."  
  
"Maybe you just have to make a new life? Find people who will let you in, make friends... and maybe I can help with the technical bits?" Willow looked at him, feeling something inside yearning to help him, to stay near him.  
  
He glared at her, his blue eyes angry. "Who would want to help me? I'm a freak once for being a mutant, twice a freak for having no past, and a freak again for these damn claws! What sort of new life can I make?"  
  
Willow wasn't entirely certain what gave her the courage to do what happened next. But the next thing she knew, she was in front of him her face heated with anger, her finger poking into his chest. "You may be different but that doesn't mean you have no future! You can make any new life you please, and I'm not about to let you sit in a corner and wail that life isn't fair!"  
  
"How are you going to stop me?" There was something in his eyes, something that might have been hope.  
  
Then, Willow was kissing him, her lips on his, demanding his attention, her fury transmuted to something else entirely. Her fingers wound through his hair, trapping him there with her, holding him in place.  
  
But no kiss lasts forever, and when it parted, he stood there, his arms around her, panting with the need to breath and something else. "Willow? What..."  
  
She could feel her face turning red, and tried to hide against his chest. "I wanted to. I... I'm sorry?"  
  
"Please don't be... but that... can we end every argument like that?" His voice was low, still stunned, and hoarse with passion.  
  
She looked up, her eyes meeting his, and gave a small, hopeful smile. "That sounds like you want a relationship. A future. Are you sure that you want me? For a relationship?"  
  
All he could do for a moment was stare at her, before claiming her lips again for another deeply passionate kiss. "I want. For as long as I possibly can get you to stay with me."  
  
Sighing contentedly, she snuggled against him. "I can deal with that."  
  
end For Purple Mountain's Majesty. 


	2. Amber Waves of Grain

Amber Waves of Grain  
  
author: Lucinda  
  
rating: pg 13  
  
pairing: Willow/Logan  
  
sequel to For Purple Mountain's Majesty  
  
disclaimer: I do not own anyone from BtVS or Marvel's X-Men, comics or movie.  
  
distribution: Bite Me, WLS, NHA, WWW, quickie challenge, Twisting the Hellmouth. Anyone else ask.  
  
notes: going AU from Season 5. Glory killed Tara, Buffy didn't die. Set after X-Men the movie, while Logan is away searching for his past.  
  
  
  
  
  
Willow leaned against Logan, feeling oddly content. She hadn't expected to be able to find happiness again after Tara had died. Certainly not with someone like Logan... honestly, she'd never imagined anyone like Logan before. They were trying to unravel his past, to learn what had been done to him, maybe why. Possibly even something of who he'd been before.  
  
Of course, that didn't mean they didn't have a bit of fun, or breaks from research. They would practice sparring, to keep in shape, to keep in practice for when Sabertooth came back, to keep from screaming at the old hard drives that Willow was trying to get information from. And sometimes, they would be snuggled up, sharing kisses as the sun set. Those times were unexpectedly sweet, and made Willow feel warm and alive inside.  
  
They weren't sure quite what the future would hold for them, but neither of them wanted to think about the long term. They wanted to relax, to find information, to savor the feeling of an attractive person snuggling up against them. Enjoying the fact that their company seemed to chase away the nightmares that both of them suffered from.  
  
Willow had been able to make out bits and fragments, but it wasn't forming a neat picture like a puzzle. She had fragments of dozens of files, some of which she was fairly certain had nothing to do with Logan. She did wonder a bit about the 'Dr. T. Walsh' that had been mentioned, curious if there was some link between this person and the late Dr. Maggie Walsh of the Initiative.  
  
"I still don't know how you can say this junk doesn't give you nightmares." Logan's voice was an interruption to her musings.   
  
Willow looked up, smiling at the man who had made her care again, helped her to remember how to feel. "Because I've seen worse before? I didn't… when I look at this, it's all the technical information, the parts on why it's supposed to work, not how it's done. I'm not seeing the terrible parts."  
  
"So tell me about Sunnydale, and what's so bad about it that this isn't so bad?" Logan settled beside her on the floor.  
  
"It was called La Boca Del Inferno by the early Spanish settlers." Willow wasn't quite certain how to explain things.  
  
"The mouth of hell? A Hellmouth?" Logan frowned, clearly frustrated. "I can almost remember something about that… It's bad. Ugly tentacles with teeth… and vampires? But that sounds crazy…"  
  
"Sounds like Sunnydale actually." Willow smiled, placing her hand over his, feeling the rough scars where the claws emerged. "You must have known something about that before, when you still remembered your past."  
  
"Let's... go somewhere. Somewhere not here." Logan stood up, shaking his head as if to make himself wake up. "Somewhere away from that damn base and all it's old questions, farther from the mouth of hell."  
  
So, they packed up their things, and started driving east. There had been a problem withWillow's car, and they'd needed to stop for repairs. So, they found themselves in Iowa, with fields of corn and wheat extending as far as the eye could see. Everything seemed so casual, calm and a bit sleepy.  
  
Willow looked around in amazement. "This is the widest, flattest place that I've ever seen."  
  
"Yeah, wide, flat, generally wholesome. Welcome to Iowa." Logan had smiled, looking almost comforted by the normality of it all.  
  
"Logan? Have you been to Iowa before?" Willow looked at him, smiling a bit. They were holding hands, walking down the main street of the sleepy little town.  
  
He grinned, thumb rubbing the back of her hand. "Not that I recall, darlin'. But maybe I got family here… I had to have come from somewhere."  
  
Willow suddenly stopped, looking at a family in the park. "Logan? Look over there… that family. Their hair looks almost like yours."  
  
Logan looked, seeing the old man who's gray hair formed a pair of peaks, a cigar held firmly between his teeth. A younger man with brownish hair cut very short was sitting with a blond woman, both of them watching a group of kids running and playing. The smallest child, dressed in blue jeans and a white tee shirt had wild brown peaks of hair, almost but not quite falling victim to gravity, while a boy of about fifteenish chased a frisbee, his brown hair streaked with blond, and forming peaks almost the same as Logan.  
  
"Damn… they do look like they've got the same hair." Logan chuckled, a smile creeping onto his face. "Here's the big question – did they get it from me, me from them, or all of us from some common ancestor?"  
  
Just about then, the Frisbee went wide, clipping right into the adult man, who had been sitting quietly in the shade. "Benjamin Allen Logan! If you can't keep control of this thing, you won't be allowed to play with it!"  
  
Willow blinked, staring at the family gathering. "Yeah, there's definitely a connection there. So, Logan, any idea what sort of first name you'd like?"  
  
He chuckled, tugging her back into motion along the sidewalk. "Seems a bit unfair to be able to pick it myself. But I think… John sounds good. Short, simple name, goes well just about anywhere… and I can remember it fairly well."  
  
"John Logan it is then. With relatives in Iowa. It just seems so… quiet and normal here." Willow sighed, leaning her head against his shoulder. "Just, sit out and watch the crops grow… everything's fairly safe and simple."  
  
"Ever wonder how life seems to a stalk of corn?" Logan's question seemed almost random.  
  
"Possibly tall, depending on the time of year." Willow smiled, imagining life where the only possible problem was the desire for rain.  
  
Logan laughed, giving Willow a one armed hug. "Tall… maybe so. Never thought about it like that. Think the corn gets bored and wonders what's in the next field?"  
  
"Maybe we'll have to find out some day." Willow felt as if worries were melting away in the summer heat. "Hey… let's get ice cream."  
  
"Ice cream?" Logan looked at her, eyes winkling with humor. "I suppose I could go for that."  
  
So, Willow and Logan enjoyed ice cream, relaxing in the glorious sunlight that poured over them. All was quiet and peaceful in this small town in Iowa, and they just took the opportunity to be together, to be happy.  
  
End Amber Waves of Grain. 


	3. Across the Fruited Plains

author: Lucinda

rating: y-14, T for teen, content similar to series and movies.

pairing: Willow/Logan

sequel to 'For Amber Waves of Grain', which was sequel to 'For Purple Mountain's Majesty.' I have decided to call this one the 'Beautiful America' series.

disclaimer: I do not own anyone from BtVS or Marvel's X-Men, comics or movie.

distribution: Bite Me, WLS, NHA, WWW, Mental Wandering, Mystifying Dreams, Twisting the Hellmouth. Anyone else ask.

notes: going AU from Season 5. Glory killed Tara, Buffy didn't die. Set after X-Men the movie, while Logan is away searching for his past.

"So, you can stay in touch with your friends by phone and email, right?"

Logan's question pulled Willow's attention from the files that she was staring at, again. "Yeah, though it might mean that Giles has to use the computer a bit more than he'd like. Dawn can probably handle what he can't, computer-wise. She'd probably like to have a bit more to do, and it's a lot safer than patrolling would be. Why?"

"Come with me to New York?" Logan was looking at her, his eyes pleading in the way that his words didn't. They conveyed his concern, his deep desire for her company, and worries that he'd probably rather be shot than give voice to.

"What's in New York that I can't have here?" Willow moved, leaning against Logan's warm body. "I've got you, my friends are in California, I'm not that worried about the theaters..."

"You could tell them that there's a good college, one that could cover just about any sort of science that you'd like. You could tell them that you want to be with me, like I want you to be with me," Logan leaned down, kissing her. "There's some people there... they tried to help me."

"Special people?" Willow asked, almost certain that these must have been the source of his tip to look into the military base.

"Mutants, like me," he admitted. "Come with me?"

"You're right, I can stay in touch with them from New York as easy... probably easier than here. Are you sure about the college part? UC Sunnycale isn't exactly the most prestigious of schools..." Willow murmured, thinking out loud.

"The Professor made the school for mutants. You don't have to impress them with your past schools. That bright light thing that you did would be more than enough." He rubbed along her arm, fingers moving to trace her spine. "Of course, I'd argue for you if anyone objected."

"That light was magic, not..." Willow shrugged, deciding that it didn't really matter. "A whole school for mutants? Are there very many there? What made him decide on a special school?"

"Not all mutants look normal, and not all of them can deal with all the people. It's not that big, but there'd be a lot of new faces to get to know. And they'd understand about sometimes there are things more important than finishing a term paper."

"Like that Sabertooth guy?" Willow asked, wondering if the scariness had been the result of a terrible childhood.

"Ehhh. I guess you could say that he doesn't pass for normal." Logan looked unhappy. "I try not to think too much on him."

"Sorry to bring up bad memories," Willow offered. "So, you've got friends in New York?"

"Yeah. Good friends, even the ones that I don't like. They're the sort of people who stand with you when trouble comes, the sort who want tomorrow to be better than today," Logan tried to explain. "Jean's a doctor, she's done a lot of studies on minds and genetics. Scott... he's good with engines."

"Scott's not your favorite person?" Willow giggled, noticing the way he frowned a little at the mention of this guy.

"We don't get along, but he'd help if I was in trouble. Maybe after he'd laughed, but he'd help."

Willow found herself smiling, trying to picture these people. She knew that her mental images, hazy though they were, were probably way off. She was picturing Scott as a bit like an older Xander, and maybe this Jean as someone part way between Mrs. Summers and Giles. "I think I'd like to go meet your friends."

"It might be nice to drive back. We can take the scenic routes, and relax," Logan mused.

Willow nodded, thinking that it might also give her a chance to sort out some of those files, as well as the fragments that she'd been able to get from the old computer drives. "No need to rush, after all."

They left that afternoon, with a meandering route planned that would let them see several old historical sites as well as some that were just supposed to be pretty. This would be a vacation, not a rush to go anywhere, friends or not. She called Giles, letting him know an edited version, that she was still with Logan, and that he knew of a good college on the east coast that she was planning to apply for admission at. Yes, she was happy, healthy, and keeping watch in case of things going bump, not that Giles had used that description.

Following a route consisting mainly of small roads, they ended up heading south along the Mississippi River. There were beautiful views, though some of the places that they drove through were less inviting. Nothing like a small town to let a few bad apples sour the whole impression.

Logan was still trying to argue with the proprietor of the dingy motel. Despite the fact that the only vehicles to be seen were Willow's small car and a battered pick-up truck that had four different colors of paint and rust spots, the man was insisting that there were no rooms available. Logan had been arguing with the guy for a while, hoping to get a room, mainly for the shower. Willow kept glancing around, habit and Sunnydale leaving her feeling exposed as darkness fell.

"These out-of-towners givin' y' a hassle?"

There was something about the voice that set alarms of in Willow's mind. The new guy looked similar to the motel owner, just an ordinary guy in ordinary clothing, with shaggy hair and stained teeth. Except... There was something different about those stained teeth. Something different about that lazy strut.

"I been tellin' them there's no room." The motel guy said, glaring at Logan. "They don't listen to good."

"Bet they're city folk," the guy said, nodding to himself. Suddenly, his face changed, showing the wrinkled brows and sharp teeth of a vampire. "I'll take care of them..."

The motel owner made a strange noise, as if he was trying to swear and whimper at the same time, and stumbled backwards. From the obvious shock and panic, it was clear that this was one development that he hadn't expected.

Logan punched the vampire, sending him staggering back with an expression of shock. Snarling, Logan grinned at the vampire. "I was looking forward to letting some of this out."

Willow shook her head as Logan pummeled at the vampire, and scurried to the car to dig out a stake. Just because Logan seemed to be doing okay for the moment didn't mean a stake wouldn't be a good idea.

"What's wrong with him?" demanded the motel owner, now clutching a long gun in one hand.

"He's a vampire," Willow replied, not looking up from her search. "Aha, here's a stake."

Logan just shook his head, and hit the vampire with a very wicked looking low blow, sending him to the ground with a whimper. Willow then staked the vampire through the back. "Hopefully he wasn't someone that you knew?"

"A vampire..." the man shook his head, and looked at the pile of dust. "Damn."

"They can't enter a house without an invitation, fire, stakes and beheading kill them, they can't touch crosses, and don't reflect," Willow offered, worried that one vampire might mean there were more somewhere. "Guns don't kill hem, but they can down them long enough for something else that will."

"You... don't seem so scared by that." The man looked at her and then at Logan. "Neither one of you look scared."

"I've been helping fight vampires for the past five years," Willow replied. "I don't frighten as easily anymore."

"They're not much, but if y' still want a room for the night, you've got one. No charge."

Logan shook his head, wiping the dust from his hands. "A shower sounds good. A room sounds good. We'll take you up on that offer."

Willow smiled, and grabbed her bag from the car. She could feel herself blushing. "Thanks."

"What, not used to getting any thanks?" Logan asked, lifting his own bag.

"No, most people are more with the repressing and either pretending that didn't just happen or trying to explain it all away." Willow sighed, and looked at the motel. "This is pretty much as big of a thank you as I've ever gotten from someone that I've helped save."

It was hard to explain how, but the small motel room somehow seemed a lot nicer after that.

end Across the Fruited Plains.

end Across the Fruited Plains.


	4. From Sea to Shining Sea

author: Lucinda

rating: y-14, T for teen, content similar to series and movies.

pairing: Willow/Logan

fourth in the 'Beautiful America' series.

disclaimer: I do not own anyone from BtVS or Marvel's X-Men, comics or movie.

distribution: Bite Me, WLS, NHA, WWW, Mental Wandering, Mystifying Dreams, Twisting the Hellmouth. Anyone else ask.

notes: going AU from Season 5. Glory killed Tara, Buffy didn't die. Set after X-Men the movie, while Logan is away searching for his past.

"Have you thought about that family in Iowa? The ones who had the same sort of hair?" Willow asked as she picked up her hairbrush.

"What do I say? Hey, I doubt you know me, but I think I might be related to you?" Logan sighed, and looked towards her, "That sounds crazy."

"Sometimes life is crazy. If you want to, we can go back, find them, and you can try to talk a little. Make it clear that you aren't after any money, just some sort of idea about your own past, and that might help." Willow paused, and started brushing, "But only if you want to try."

Logan tilted his head, considering things. "I've been saying that I want my past. Ignoring a chance like that would be cowardly. Charging in could blow the whole thing. Can you find them with your computer? Maybe I could start with a letter, that might be less alarming than some stranger showing up at their house."

"Okay," Willow smiled. Putting down the brush, she unzipped the front pocket of her backpack and pulled out a notebook. Removing a stack of printouts from inside, she handed it to Logan. "Names and mailing addresses, a little bit of their family tree, and a couple articles from newspapers. Nothing spectacular; some weddings, a few birth announcements, Little League baseball... ordinary life stuff. You have no idea how nice it was to look up something like this instead of evil rituals, mutilated bodies, or funky artifacts."

Chuckling, he took the papers. "I should have known you'd be ahead of me on this."

"Logan?" Willow's voice was soft, and she was twisting a lock of hair around her finger. "Have you considered the idea that you may never get some of those memories back? Maybe we can find information to tell us where and when and a few of the why's, but that isn't the same as really remembering."

Rolling his shoulder, Logan sighed, "It has crossed my mind. I want to know who I used to be, and why this was done. Why me? Who decided it? Was I stupid or blind enough to agree to it? Did I leave anyone behind?"

"I already checked the common databases for America and Canada. If they have your fingerprints, it's not in the normal records. I haven't tried to crack into the Pentagon looking for you," Willow's eyes twinkled, leaving Logan uncertain if she was joking or not. "Or maybe you just don't have any official records after sixty seven."

"Considering what I do know, either one is possible," Logan admitted. "What's this about breaking into the Pentagon system?"

"I said that I hadn't. Not looking for you, at least. I did hack in last year, but that was connected to the whole Initiative based under Sunnydale and their nasty chips and cyborg projects, one of which was completely not authorized anyhow and would have gotten Dr. Walsh into a lot of trouble if she hadn't been killed. But I haven't hacked into the Pentagon recently," Willow smiled.

"As long as you didn't hack the Pentagon recently," Logan chuckled. "Do you have any idea how absurd that sounds?"

Willow grinned, and studied a few small scars on her hands. "Yeah, but a lot of my life sounds pretty absurd if you say it out loud. Vampires, demons, prophecies and mystical destiny. People getting possessed, demons and magic spells. Lots of absurdity there."

"So you hook up with someone who's life has been every bit as strange... at least, the parts I remember have been," Logan teased, moving closer to her. Giving her a kiss, he smiled "But things are looking up."

"Definitely looking up," Willow slipped her arms around him. "I'd have never expected this, last year."

"You wouldn't have expected to be relocating to the East Coast with an older mutant boyfriend?" Logan kissed the top of her head, trying not to snicker.

"Considering that last year, I was happily sharing an apartment with my witchy girlfriend and helping fight demons and vampires in California, nope. Though my first boyfriend was a little older, Oz wasn't a werewolf," Willow grinned at him. "My parents used to hope that I'd marry a nice Jewish boy and raise some normal, plump kids. I just don't manage traditional very well."

Logan couldn't keep from laughing. "I'd never accuse you of being normal, Red."

"That's a good thing, right?" she looked at him, nibbling her lip.

"Yes." Logan kissed her again, leaving no doubts about his appreciation.

It was much later that Willow commented, "I suppose it would be easier to send letters back and forth if you're staying in one place, wouldn't it? I mean, to that family back in Iowa."

"Probably," Logan yawned.

"So, I guess we should go back to this school you mentioned. And then I could work on a degree and be around you," she snuggled up against him. "Life's a lot less scary if you don't have to face the weird parts alone."

"True," Logan agreed. "And you won't have to be alone. Neither of us will."

End From Sea to Shining Sea.

End Beautiful America series.


End file.
